Checkmated by Boredom? Why Magnus Carlsen once said F1 is the ‘most boring sport imaginable’

There’s fresh buzz around Formula 1 lately — thanks in part to the Brad Pitt-led Hollywood blockbuster F1, which is racing up rave reviews. But not everyone’s waving the chequered flag.

Enter Magnus Carlsen, the Norwegian chess grandmaster and five-time world champion, who took an unexpected pit stop during a press conference at Norway Chess 2025 to deliver a surprise hot take: Formula 1, according to him, is “the most boring sport imaginable.”

What’s even funnier? Carlsen wasn’t even asked about motorsport. The question had actually been about which of his fellow chess stars — Hikaru Nakamura, reigning world champion Gukesh, women’s world champion Ju Wenjun, Arjun Erigaisi, or Anna Muzychuk — might outperform him and Nakamura in the tournament’s Confessional Booth. (The booth lets players sneak away mid-game to vent or share insights, often to amusing effect.)

Instead, Carlsen took a detour worthy of a Grand Prix chicane: “I personally think Formula 1 is like the most boring sport imaginable. Like you just drive around in a circle for a long time. To be fair, the start is exhilarating for the pure power of the cars, but after that, very little happens,” he quipped, prompting grins from his fellow grandmasters.

Carlsen’s unexpected rant sparked quick rebuttals from F1 fans online, some of whom reminded him that chess itself can involve hours of players sitting still as pieces barely move.

Still, if nothing else, Carlsen proved one thing: in chess or press conferences, you never know where the next move might lead.